Should You Book an Airbnb That Has No Reviews?
When you look at a particularly beautiful Airbnb ad, you might think, “This is too good a place to be true.” You look through the photos of an ad, read about the amenities, including the pool and sun deck, and around this time you find the ad has no reviews.
For the most part, there is a fairly simple explanation: the listing is new and hasn’t received enough guests to view it. In other cases, however, it is possible that you are engaging in a scam , although Airbnb claims to conduct background checks on at least some of its members. Before booking Airbnb with few or no reviews, it’s important to review the listing carefully and contact the host prior to completing your booking.
Avoid contacts outside of Airbnb’s direct messaging system
In most cases, requesting Airbnb is fairly straightforward: you select dates, request a reservation, and the host accepts your request. (This process is automatic for some listings when using Airbnb’s Instant Book. However, for the vast majority of listings, the host must personally accept the booking.)
You may find that the host will contact you before or after accepting the request, even asking for an email address to contact you. This is why it can be alarming, especially with zero recall ads: your host will already have the ability to send you emails after a confirmed booking, and they don’t need your personal address.
Airbnb sets up anonymous temporary email addresses between you and your host as soon as they confirm your stay. any emails to your temporary Airbnb email address will be forwarded to your personal email address. (Your host has no way of finding your real email address unless you choose to provide it.)
Once you switch from Airbnb’s messaging system to your personal email addresses, you are no longer protected by Airbnb. If there is a problem with your ad, Airbnb can usually look at your message history to fix the problem, which creates problems for those who have contacted through their personal email addresses.
Of course, not every email is a scam; I used to provide email addresses to great review hosts who provided directions, photos, or asked for my full name for identification. (For example, in Japan, hosts are required to request copies of your passport.) System. In addition, you should search online for your destination’s specific Airbnb accommodation laws in case the host asks for travel documents — the easiest way to do this is simply to find the country and Airbnb.
If you do contact by email, please read it carefully and do not click on links requesting your information as part of possible phishing attacks. Airbnb also warns its guests about prepaid scams – when a host offers a particularly good deal if you’re not paying through Airbnb. This is another huge red flag: you shouldn’t pay any part of the commission directly to the host.
Take a close look at the listing itself
If the price is too good to be true, especially when comparing it to other available listings at your destination, that’s another reason for some skepticism (although new hosts may offer a slightly discounted price to stay competitive). Here are a few more things to ask yourself before booking:
- Does the host have any feedback on other listings? If so, check these ads and see how verified they are.
- If you do a reverse image search on some of the photos in the listings, will they be found elsewhere? This is a huge red flag, aside from the circumstances under which they might locate a home with a competitor like VRBO. The lack of photographs is another warning sign. I have a friend who booked an Airbnb stay in Costa Rica with just two photos, none of which showed the walls were not floor-to-ceiling. This was done for a particularly intimate holiday with other guests.
- Are the amenities mentioned in the photos? If you are promised a jacuzzi or a second bed, this should be confirmed by photographs.
- Is the description of the property well written? A short description with little detail can be a reason to reconsider your stay.
- Is the landlord warning you not to contact the property management or rental office? This is another red flag. You don’t want to tiptoe around your Airbnb, especially if it’s illegal.
- If you have an address, is it an accurate description of the location? You can confirm this to make sure the ad isn’t fooling you.
Send a message to the owner
Before making a request, it doesn’t hurt to send a simple message to the host with no feedback by asking something as simple as “Is this ad new?” or simply request more photos of the ad itself. You can use their response (and how quickly they respond) to judge for yourself if the host is trustworthy.
“Try sending a message to confirm the dates you are interested in are available and ask a reasonable question that is not answered on the list (like proximity to a grocery store),” suggested u / lemonsqueeziee on a recent Reddit thread .
And if in the end you will still all-a great vacation, leave the master star review; this will benefit the host and future guests looking for a place to stay so they don’t stay in the same position that you once were.